Great piece in New York magazine this week by Wil S. Hylton http://nym.ag/1BO4Rth that goes to surprising
lengths to put a human face on deserter culture, coming on the forty-first
anniversary of “The Burglary” (see prior post, four back), in which a
group of brave citizens stole FBI documents and changed the course of American
democracy -- if not forever, at least until the Internet infected our brains and
impeded our moral imperatives -- believing in the just fight against a fraudulently
promoted war in Vietnam that sent a generation of ordinary American young men
and women to slaughter.
In this case, US deserters who have sought refuge in Canada
are now subject to deportation and prison for their crime. Not so much the
desertion itself, but the fact that in Canada they have become public figures,
of sorts. They speak out, not as I understand it, in any way that exposes
classified information about their wars, Iraq and Afghanistan. But rather just
because they have acted, as the Media, Pa., group in 1971 did, like citizens. In so doing, they have been a profound embarrassment to Imperial America. (Thank God, the Media burglars were never found.)
When it comes to objections of conscience, who are the worst offenders?
The deserters or the pursuers? Read the article and decide for yourself.
Next: Running for Your Life: Discovery of Slowness
